Providing farmers with timely climate information can mean the difference between a plentiful harvest or significant crop losses.

A short film produced by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), Columbia University explains the importance of climate information in supporting farm-level decision making, particularly in times of greater climate variability.

“Combined with other climate-smart interventions such as agroforestry, rainwater harvesting and livelihoods diversification, climate information services can help farmers cope with the negative impacts of climate variability and change, and take advantage of good conditions by confidently investing in their fields,” says an article on the CCAFS website.

In recent decades, scientists have acquired greater skill in predicting seasonal climate conditions. The demand for this information has grown, especially as the climate changes, but much of it still doesn’t read the farmers who need it most.

CCAFS and IRI scientists are supporting African meteorological agencies to improve data, design farmer-friendly information products and services, and find effective ways to deliver them. It is particularly important that farmers can access forecasts in a timely manner, such as via their mobile phones and through agricultural extension agents, and equitably.

Read the full article and watch the video: Putting climate services into farmers’ hands